"Dr. Langstaff Describes the Advent of the Horseless Carriage"

Dr. Rolph Langstaff, the first automobile owner in Richmond Hill, at the wheel of his 1902 Oldsmobile.

At age eighty-eight, Dr. Rolph Langstaff recalled what it was like to own Richmond Hill's first automobile back in the year 1902:

Try and imagine the thrill of driving one of these for the first time. Once up in the seat, one would notice that there were no shafts and no horse. By reaching down to the side of the seat and pulling up a few times on the crank, this horseless carriage would spring into life, noisy, fairly dancing up and down and raring to go. A touch and it was off down the road at twelve and a half miles [20 kilometres] an hour. On a down grade it would accelerate up to 17 miles [27 kilometres] an hour and gain so much momentum that it would go nearly half way up the next grade before having to change into low.

The Liberal,November 7, 1957